The women's soccer team captured the NJCAA Division III Region 4 championship with a 1-0 victory over Joliet Junior College on Oct. 23 at JJC, earning a spot in the Midwest District semifinal.

Carolina Carreon converted a penalty kick with 2:30 remaining in the first half to provide the game's only goal. The Chaparrals protected the one-goal advantage the rest of the way to secure the regional title on their opponent's home field.

The victory carried additional significance for the Chaparrals, who had been unable to defeat Joliet during the previous two seasons.

"It meant a lot, especially for us," sophomore Molly Rose said. "It's a close school around here, so there's always that little rivalry. And it's always good to beat a team at their own field. So, it was a really good day for us."

DuPage recorded four shots on goal, led by Sophia Enriquez with two. Goalkeeper Brooke Cutlip played the entire contest and made five saves to preserve the shutout.

Carreon's penalty kick proved decisive in a tightly contested, physical matchup, giving the Chaparrals a lead they would not relinquish.

"The feeling of that game was just indescribable," sophomore Peyton Wright said. "It was hard to wait for it to be over after we got that goal. But it was just really fun to be a part of."

With the regional championship secured, the Chaparrals now turn their attention to the next stage of the postseason. DuPage will travel to Michigan to face No. 1-ranked Delta College in the NJCAA Division III Midwest District semifinal on Oct. 30.

The matchup presents an opportunity for the Chaps to test themselves against the nation's top-ranked team as they look to build on their championship performance, Rose said. 

"We've never played against Delta, so it will be a really good test to see what a school like that, their standards are," she said. "I think this week it's focusing on building back up from JJC, trying to figure out what our strong points are now that we're at the end of the season, working on those things that just need tweaking a little bit, and making sure that we're the best we can be for Delta."

Maintaining that level of play will be a priority as COD prepares for the district semifinal, Wright added.

"Just making sure that intensity stays high," she said. "We don't want to drop our level at all, and we just want to make sure we're ready to go to Michigan."

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